Bull trout is a threatened species native to the Pacific Northwest
that has been selected as Management Indicator Species on several
national forests. Scientifically defensible procedures for monitoring
bull trout populations are necessary that can be applied to the
extensive and remote lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Distributional monitoring focuses primarily on temporal patterns
of occurrence within suitable habitat patches, has minimal field
sampling requirements, and can provide inference regarding large
areas relevant to land management. This document describes: (1)
using a geographic information system to stratify a river network
into suitable and unsuitable habitats, (2) determining sample
sizes and locations, (3) field sampling techniques, (4) basic
trend analysis, and (5) an example application and cost estimates
derived from a pilot project in Idaho.